--:-- John Bickley: I'm John Bickley, editor-in-chief of the Daily Wire, with Georgia Howe. It's Thursday, September 21st, and this is your Morning Wire afternoon update.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, John.
--:-- John Bickley: Today, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky met with the U.S. Senate and congressional leaders as he makes his case for continued American support in his nation's fight against Russia.
--:-- John Bickley: Zelensky spoke at a brief press conference with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. He also met with Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, but the top congressional Republican revealed that he denied Zelensky's request to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress during his visit.
--:-- Kevin McCarthy: We just didn't have the time.
--:-- John Bickley: The Ukrainian leader spoke before both the Senate and the House last December. For his part, President Joe Biden has requested $24 billion in funding from the legislative branch. The White House, however, refuses to say how much more money and aid Ukraine needs from the American taxpayer.
--:-- John Bickley: War is inherently unpredictable, of course. So I can't look you in the eye and I certainly can't look them in the eye and predict exactly what's going to happen on exactly what timetable. And therefore, we need to have a degree of flexibility and adaptability in our approach as we have since the beginning of this conflict.
--:-- John Bickley: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is retiring as chairman of Fox and News Corp at age 92 and will become chairman emeritus of both companies. Murdoch started his business with an Australian newspaper growing his empire over the last 70 years to one worth more than $20 billion. His son Lachlan will now become the sole executive of both companies.
--:-- John Bickley: That's not the only news in Texas. The second highest ranking official in Texas says he'll call on the governor to announce a special legislative session to address Colony Ridge, a massive housing development north of Houston that's become a hub for illegal immigrants.
--:-- John Bickley: Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, a Republican, said this week that he plans to ask Governor Greg Abbott to convene a special legislative session to address concerns about Colony Ridge, which many fear has become a strategic center for Mexican cartels to operate within the United States.
--:-- Dan Patrick: We can't have entire cities of people who have come here illegally with basically no law enforcement. In some cases, I'm told they're running water. It's a very dangerous place to be. This is not what America was built on.
--:-- John Bickley: Colony Ridge is a land development that sprawls across roughly 60 square miles, and it attracts illegal aliens with a financing offer that does not require buyers to show proof of citizenship. Buyers are encouraged, exclusively in Spanish, to, quote, own land in the United States.
--:-- John Bickley: The call for action on Colony Ridge was echoed by Representative Chip Roy, who told The Daily Wire that he has received additional information on the Colony Ridge development and that it is, quote, highly concerning.
--:-- Chip Roy: Texas is not alone in dealing with the illegal immigration crisis. New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul had a message for immigrants after more than 100 have come to New York City under the Biden administration straining social services and infuriating residents.
--:-- Kathy Hochul: We have to let the word out that when you come to New York we're not going to have more hotel rooms. We don't have capacity. So we have to also message properly that we're at our limit. If you're going to leave your country, go somewhere else. But the smarter thing is to apply for asylum before you leave your country.
--:-- John Bickley: Hochul and other Democrats have been demanding that the Biden administration allow certain illegal immigrants to be permitted to work. Now, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans who have entered the U.S. will receive legal permission to be employed. This week, the Department of Homeland Security expanded the temporary protected status of nearly 500,000 Venezuelan illegal immigrants.
--:-- John Bickley: But that status only applies to those who came before July 31st. The Biden administration announced that $600 million of taxpayer funds will go toward producing the new COVID test.
--:-- John Bickley: Daily Wire reporter Zach Jewell has a quick update.
--:-- Zach Jewell: The Biden administration will also reopen the website to order those tests. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement on Thursday that these, quote, critical investments in 12 different U.S. manufacturing companies will strengthen our nation's production levels of domestic at-home COVID-19 rapid tests and help mitigate the spread of the virus.
--:-- John Bickley: The news comes as a summer surge of the virus has brought new variants, though none of those are deadlier than previous strains.
--:-- John Bickley: In artificial intelligence and business news, technology giant Cisco announced it will be buying the AI firm Splunk in a $28 billion cash deal. Cisco paid $157 per share for Splunk and says the deal will be finalized by the third quarter of 2024. That's per the Wall Street Journal.
--:-- John Bickley: Two weeks into the 2023 NFL season, the NFC is off to a record-setting start. Seven teams in the conference currently hold a record of 2-0.
--:-- John Bickley: Sports writer and Cranic Company co-host David Cohn has more.
--:-- David Cohn: The San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys are not only 2-0, but both look very strong throughout the first two weeks of the season. Now, last year's Super Bowl runner-up, the Philadelphia Eagles, they're also unbeaten, even though their victories have been much closer.
--:-- David Cohn: The other NFC winning streaks are a bit more surprising. The Washington Commanders under new ownership. They're off to a hot start. And in the NFC South, we have three teams, the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are all 2-0.
--:-- David Cohn: Now, many had predicted that to be the worst division in the league. Meanwhile, in the AFC, only two undefeated teams remain. That's the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens.
--:-- John Bickley: Those are your drive-home updates this afternoon. To learn more about these stories, go to dailywire.com. And for more in-depth discussion of the biggest stories of the day, listen to the latest full episode of Morning Wire every morning.
--:-- Georgia Howe: Thanks for joining us, John.
--:-- John Bickley: Thanks for listening, Georgia.
